“I’d make sure of that” - Carragher admits he set rule at Liverpool to battle competition from Cristiano Ronaldo for awards

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher recently admitted that he set rules in the Reds' dressing room to battle competition from Cristiano Ronaldo for awards in the late 2000s.

Ronaldo played for Manchester United at the time and battled former Liverpool stars Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres for the PFA Player of the Year award.

Carragher shared the pitch 571 times alongside Gerrard and 129 times beside Torres, managing one joint goal contribution with both players. The ex-defender told the Stick to Football podcast (via Liverpool Echo):

"I’d get the [PFA] forms [at Liverpool] and if I thought someone had a decent chance of winning something – Stevie [Gerrard], or Fernando Torres for player of the year – it would be like [in the changing room], ‘Well no one can vote for his rival’! I’d make sure of that. I’d tell players: ‘You can’t vote for him’!"

Despite Carragher's efforts, Gerrard won the honor once in 2006, while Torres lost out to Ronaldo in 2008 after a stellar season. The former Spanish international scored 33 goals, while the Portuguese icon notched up 44 across all competitions and won the award for the second consecutive season.

However, both Gerrard and Torres enjoyed stellar careers at Anfield. Gerrad played 710 matches for the Reds across all competitions, bagging 186 goals and 157 assists while winning the UEFA Champions League in 2005.

Meanwhile, Torres finished with 81 goals and 20 assists from 142 appearances for the Merseysiders.

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Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk snubs Cristiano Ronaldo as he names toughest opponent

Cristiano Ronaldo (via Getty Images)

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk named former Arsenal and Chelsea star Olivier Giroud as his toughest opponent while failing to name Cristiano Ronaldo among the nominees.

The Dutch central defender named several other stars, including Sergio Aguero, Erling Haaland, and Gabriel Jesus, as players who caused him problems while defending.

He told France Football (via Goal):

"I think that Olivier Giroud [is the toughest attacker I have played against]. Every time, you think you’ve got a hold of him, that you’ve got him well marked, but he always manages to score in one way or another: with his head, his foot, his knee. He has often scored against me (smiles)."

Van Dijk has come up against Giroud 14 times, out of which the Frenchman's side have won seven battles and lost four. On the other hand, the center-back has faced Ronaldo on five occasions, winning just two of those clashes.